William put away his sighs and chuckled, saying, “The foundation of Shuiyue Nunnery’s sect lies in the ‘Heart Sutra of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’. If one attains true fruition, one can obtain the ‘Golden Body of the Great Compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’, which is one of the golden bodies of great bodhisattvas and great arhats, far superior to ordinary bodhisattva and arhat golden bodies, second only to the Tathagata golden body, Amitabha dharma body, and Bodhi golden body. Tsk, but throughout the ages, only the founder of Shuiyue Nunnery has ever attained it.”

“Is that so…” Eric Bennett felt his face flush and his heart race. In this world, there are actually bodhisattva golden bodies, Buddha golden bodies, and so on. It was both thrilling and awe-inspiring.

At this moment, after everyone entered the “Scripture Lecture Hall”, William restrained his playful demeanor and stopped talking, leading Eric Bennett and the others solemnly into a side hall.

“Andrew senior brother, these are the new novices from the miscellaneous service courtyard.” After softly chanting a Buddhist title, William pointed to Eric Bennett and the others.

Seated high at the front of the scripture recitation hall was a gaunt old monk with snow-white eyebrows, also dressed in yellow monk’s robes, with books and a wooden fish placed before him, and a discipline ruler in his hand.

“You all sit down separately.” He pointed to the meditation cushions below, most of which were still empty, and in front of each cushion was a small table.

Eric Bennett, Ethan, and the others dared not speak, each finding a place to kneel and sit. After waiting for another half a quarter of an hour, more young novices arrived one after another, including “companions” like Edward who had entered the temple together.

They glanced at Eric Bennett and the others in surprise, clearly not expecting that novices from the miscellaneous service courtyard could also come to study in the scripture lecture hall.

Andrew knocked on the wooden fish in front of him, quieting the young novices, then spoke in a calm voice: “For the next three years, as long as you do not violate the temple rules, you may come here at this time every day to learn to read. In addition to ordinary characters, you must also study Sanskrit, so as to be able to read ancient scriptures.”

He paused and said, “But before teaching you characters today, I must first guide you onto the path of martial cultivation.”

Hearing this, Eric Bennett perked up, unconsciously straightening his back. Could even novices from the miscellaneous service courtyard receive guidance?

This doubt also made Edward and the others widen their eyes. Then what is the difference between the miscellaneous service courtyard and the martial monk courtyard?

“Whether it is Daoist internal cultivation or secular martial arts, the first step on the path of martial cultivation is largely the same: opening the meridians and strengthening the mind and body.” Andrew ignored the doubts of Edward and the others and continued his explanation.

Eric Bennett listened intently, afraid to miss a single word.

“This step is called ‘Hundred Days Foundation Building’ in Daoism, meaning to lay the foundation for martial cultivation. The so-called ‘hundred days’ means that, under normal circumstances, within a hundred days, the Ren and Du meridians will naturally open when filled with qi. In our Buddhist sect, it is called ‘Cultivating the Body in Meditation’, because only by calming the mind and entering meditation, without distraction or restlessness, can true qi be naturally generated, filling the acupoints and opening the meridians. In the secular world, it is called ‘Opening the Meridians’.”

Andrew gave a general introduction to the key points of “Cultivating the Body in Meditation” (Hundred Days Foundation Building): “The human body has 365 major acupoints. Each time a breath of true qi is generated, it must be infused into an acupoint, and each major acupoint requires nine breaths of true qi to be fully filled…”

“Each time you enter meditation for a quarter of an hour, you can only generate one breath of true qi. Therefore, depending on each person’s daily practice time, it generally takes from a hundred days to a year to complete this step.”

“When entering meditation, the six senses are pure, without idle thoughts or impatience. After a quarter of an hour, true qi will naturally be generated. Half of it will ascend the Du meridian to the Baihui acupoint at the top of the head, then descend to the upper palate, forming a drop of ‘Golden Nectar’. The other half will ascend the Ren meridian to the lower palate, forming a drop of ‘Jade Dew’.”

“When ‘Golden Nectar’ and ‘Jade Dew’ meet, they combine into a mouthful of clear and sweet saliva, which in our Buddhist sect is called ‘Amrita’. Afterwards, you swallow the ‘Amrita’ and infuse it into the corresponding acupoint…”

After repeating the key points several times, Andrew said, “Once ‘Cultivating the Body in Meditation’ is completed, your essence, qi, and spirit will all be sufficient, your meridians will be initially opened, and your body will be strong. Only then can you proceed to the next step, ‘Zen Concentration and Qi Accumulation’, which in our Buddhist sect is also called ‘Nourishing the Sacred Embryo’.”

After finishing, he instructed each young novice to attempt entering meditation.

This was not true Zen concentration, only requiring a calm mind, which was not difficult and relatively easy for young children with fewer distracting thoughts.

However, as an adult, Eric Bennett had many distracting thoughts and was unable to calm his mind and enter meditation for a long time, which made him increasingly anxious. The more anxious he became, the harder it was to enter meditation.

When he was sweating profusely from anxiety, he suddenly felt a cool sensation in his chest, and his mind instantly cleared.

“That little jade Buddha?” Eric Bennett was overjoyed, didn’t think much about it, and slowly gathered his mind, entering into meditation.

Chapter Five: The Little Jade Buddha

The restless thoughts disappeared, his mind became calm and steady, neither anxious nor worried. Eric Bennett gradually felt true qi being generated, traveling through the Ren and Du meridians, condensing into Golden Nectar and Jade Dew in the upper and lower palates, merging into a mouthful of clear and sweet “Amrita”.

The “Amrita” slowly seeped into the Ren meridian, and according to Eric Bennett’s intent, was infused into the acupoints.

If the body is deficient, the “Amrita” will not be sweet, and it is necessary to generate true qi in this way to strengthen the mind and body. However, Eric Bennett’s current state indicated that his body was in its best condition.

“Has this body already completed the ‘Hundred Days Foundation Building’?” The young novice Eric Bennett, who was not particularly fond of Buddhism, opened his eyes, recalling the recent experience. According to the description of Uncle Andrew, “he” should have already passed the stage of “Hundred Days Foundation Building” and could begin “Zen Concentration and Qi Accumulation”.